Roland-Garros 2023: "It doesn't matter" if Ukrainian Kostyuk "hats me", says Belarusian Sabalenka

"It doesn't matter if she hates me," commented Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, world number 2, on Friday two days before her first round at Roland-Garros against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, assuring that she did not want to "think about these negative things.

Kostyuk, 28th player in the WTA rankings, is very critical of the response, too soft for her taste, given by world tennis authorities to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"I try not to think about those negative things," Sabalenka said. It doesn't concern me in the end. It doesn't matter if she hates me! I can not do anything about it. There will always be people who love me and hate me. If she hates me, it's not reciprocated.

At the US Open last year, the Ukrainian, for example, refused to greet former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka at the end of their match, contenting herself with touching her racket in protest.

She could repeat this gesture after her first round against Sabalenka, seeded N.2 and winner of the first Grand Slam of the season in Australia at the start of the year.

“Regarding the absence of a handshake, I can understand it, said the Belarusian again during the media day preceding the start of the tournament. It's hard (for them) to shake hands with a Belarusian or a Russian. What message would they send home?

As in April during the Stuttgart tournament, where she had reached the final, Sabalenka repeated that if she could "put an end to the war, (she) will (t)", while affirming that "sport should not not be politicized. “We are just athletes. If it suits them not to shake my hand, so be it.”